A local lawmaker who has supported welfare benefit reforms said she isn’t satisfied with the recommendations of a special commission established to study the issue.|

“I am disappointed with this weak report,” State Rep. Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton, said in a statement. “From the beginning it was clear the administration did not want to implement tough restrictions. The abuse will continue due to the lack of substantial changes.”

The special commission recommended further restrictions on how welfare benefits can be spent in Massachusetts, but stopped short of backing other suggestions for cracking down on inappropriate or fraudulent use of the electronic benefits cards issued to recipients.

The proposed rules adopted by the eight-member panel Thursday would ban the use of EBT cards at several types of establishments including nail salons, tattoo parlors, strip clubs and casinos. The new restrictions would also cover bars, smoke shops, spas and firearms dealers.

The changes need approval from the Legislature, which voted last year to prohibit purchases of alcohol, tobacco or lottery tickets with EBT cards.

The panel, formed in December, also voted to approve a study by state Inspector General Gregory Sullivan of eligibility requirements for cash assistance programs, and to create a pilot program to improve financial literacy among low-income residents.

EBT cards, which work much like bank-issued debit cards, are given to recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — formerly food stamps — and to those who receive cash assistance. While the EBT card can only be used to purchase certain items approved for the SNAP program, until recently there were no restrictions on using the card for other types of purchases.

The cards can also be used to withdraw cash from ATM machines, making it virtually impossible to track what purchases are then made using the money. Data cited in the panel’s report showed that 85 percent of benefits were redeemed at ATMs during one three-month period last year, while only 15 percent were used at point of purchase.

“These cards were established to replace food stamps so the department could ensure people in need were using the funds for food, not just cashing them in for dollars,” O’Connell said in a statement. “Now we just allow for cash advances like an ATM card. They are not EBT cards. They have become ATM taxpayer-funded cards.”